1 Jonah was really upset and angry.
2 So he prayed:Our Lord, I knew from the very beginning that you wouldn't destroy Nineveh. That's why I left my own country and headed for Spain. You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don't like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.
3 Now let me die! I'd be better off dead.
4 The Lord replied, “What right do you have to be angry?”
5 Jonah then left through the east gate of the city and made a shelter to protect himself from the sun. He sat under the shelter, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh.
6 The Lord made a vine grow up to shade Jonah's head and protect him from the sun. Jonah was very happy to have the vine,
7 but early the next morning the Lord sent a worm to chew on the vine, and the vine dried up.
8 During the day the Lord sent a scorching wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah's head, making him feel faint. Jonah was ready to die, and he shouted, “I wish I were dead!”
9 But the Lord asked, “Jonah, do you have the right to be angry about the vine?”“Yes, I do,” he answered, “and I'm angry enough to die.”
10 But the Lord said:You are concerned about a vine that you did not plant or take care of, a vine that grew up in one night and died the next.
11 In that city of Nineveh there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell right from wrong, and many cattle are also there. Don't you think I should be concerned about that big city?